Category: Uncategorized

Change Of Name

I am so excited to announce that this blog will soon be renamed The Joyful Steward. The blog will have a designated URL www.thejoyfulsteward.com

As I have continued to embrace the journey that God has set me upon I realize the importance of providing good and helpful content regarding stewardship or in a more modern tongue “management” of the resources He has so kindly given us the opportunity to use and manage for Him.

As we look to the dictionary for the official definition of “Steward” we read the following:

[stoo-erd-ship]

noun

1.

the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.

2.

the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving:
From the perception or viewpoint of the Christ Follower I think one of the great authors of our day said it this way;

Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. 


– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


What I hope to discuss in the pages of this site is anything related to our living out daily the call of the steward. As a manager of resources this would encompass everything that affects our expenditure or investment of time, money, and resources. My personal belief is that this also goes to how we steward our bodies, reputations, relationships and anything else that is a blessing to us.

Hence we will address

-Personal Finance

-Travel

-Health and Wellness

-Relationships

-Reputation and Leadership

-House and Home

-Generosity
The goal is to work with other gifted communicators to share their insights on specific categories that fit their content specialties. All for the purpose that as a community we grow and improve in the way that we manage our resources so that in the future we can do like my friend Dave Ramsey says and “live and give like no one else”. 

Legacy is something you will hear a lot about as well. The Good Book says “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭13:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Generosity is part of this legacy mindset.

So as we gather our thoughts and prepare for the upcoming changes and new content, I am in prayer that God blesses with abundant and valuable material.

Blessings,

Press On

As I’m growing my businesses I am overcome with frustration, concern, fear, and even doubt at times. Through this I must remain engaged and plugged into my “vision” for the business.
There are so many distractions and they come in the form of news, propaganda, rumor, etc. We as entrepreneurs must stay committed to the vision or the “why” of our plan. I have found that having a group of like minded people surrounding me is of great help. Surround yourself with like minded mentors, men and woman who have been through the creation of a startup and know what obstacles can be thrown in your path, and the solutions and tools for navigating these obstacles. They can be called many things; think tanks, mastermind groups, accountability partners. Whatever you want to call this group doesn’t matter, what matters is that you have them on your side.
Now get out there and get to work putting together this team of wise counselors and if there’s anything I can do to help, send me a message.
[email protected]

Bread and Circuses

I had been speaking with a fellow American recently about the sad state of our nation and he recommended I read some books by a novelist who had background in the Military, and whose books reflected a very good image of what we as a country are going through now. I have read 4 of Brad’s books now and as I am starting the next one I have come across a paragraph that makes me pause and reflect.
See below an excerpt from a paragraph in Brad Thors “The Apostle”.
‘”Accountability as well as personal responsibility had been chucked out the window of American government. It also has been abdicated by the American voter. As long as most Americans could have their McDonalds drive throughs, listen to their iPods, and watch American Idol,they didn’t seem to care….
Bread and Circuses.The Romans had it right, As long as people had food and fun, they didn’t care much about the erosion of their nation.”‘
Wow this strikes so clearly to the core of what is wrong in this country today. People are so entertainment focused and living in a predominately entitlement state of mind that anything goes, as long as they are taken care of.
The Politically Correct culture is afraid to stand for anything so little by little the Nations values erode and the entitlement state of mind grows.
America must return to its roots. A Country of people who had pride, a people who were determined to make a life for their families by the sweat of their brows, and a people who stood up for the values on which this great country was founded. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. A country run by The People, for The People. Not a country run by a group of self serving folks, interested in their personal agendas.
America, wake up and return to your roots. Return to the founding principles upon which our ancestors lived. Upon which they gave much to insure that we could have Peace and Freedom.
God Bless America!

Reflecting on the positive

As we struggle through the tasks of each day it seems we are surrounded by strife, anger, confusion, and doubt. In spite of this stuff we still have to work, support our loved ones, take care of sick kids, and be good citizens of this great land.
I think back on an interesting point of view that was shared with me years ago;”don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff.”
This seems very simple but let’s put it into view. In the vastness of space lies Earth, our home. Earth itself is enormous in relation to an individual, and an individual who puts his mind and effort to a cause can have massive impact. So in an effort to keep us focused on the positive, let’s move forward viewing the “small stuff” around us as opportunities to take massive action and change the course of our situation. Reflect on the positive.
God has instilled in each of us the power , skill, intelligence to make a difference. The power to leave a ripple in the proverbial pond of life. Get out there and be a ripple maker…….

Feed The Need

Food Security
The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people’s dietary needs as well as their food preferences. 
Food security is built on three pillars:
Food availability: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis.
Food access: having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet.
Food use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.
An estimated 14.5 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2012, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. 
   Although children are usually protected from substantial reductions in food intake even in households with very low food security, nevertheless, in about 1.2 percent of households with children (463,000 households), one or more child also experienced reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns at some time during the year.
In the hopes of turning the tide on hunger in our communities I have been searching for groups and organizations who are trying to make a difference. One group that I have come to love is Feed My Sheep. FMS is a compact but effective Outreach Group of individuals who truly want to make a difference. The group was founded on the Scripture where Jesus stated to His followers ” To Feed His Sheep”. 
If you are interested in making a difference, please check out
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Feed-My-Sheep-Outreach/258476730837475
May You Find Blessing In Your Serving..
Dan

Reflection

As I fly to another destination today my thoughts are with a very special group of people who are also flying today . Bayside has sent a team of folks to Los Angeles to minister for a week with the Dream Center.
I remember two years ago Feb when I was one of the members of a Bayside Team headed out to do this  exact mission.
Wow what a life changing trip. The impact that Pastor Matthew and his team have had on the Los Angeles area and the people whom others would turn away from has been staggering.
I remember working with Matt Hendry on Skid Row and taking the time to show Gods love to a heroin addict who needed a break.  Matt was able to get this young man checked into the DC Treatment and Discipleship program. I remember talking to a gifted homeless artist who we were able to get new tennis shoes for and the blessing that was to him.
Hundreds are fed. Families on the edge of failure are given the hand up that they need to survive as a family unit. Scenarios that you cannot even comprehend are faced each day by this awesome team of volunteers who simply want to be the hands and feet of our Lord.
My prayers go with these folks as they journey out to be a light in a dark place.

Do Unto Others

“Do unto others”
As I sat in a meeting room full of sales people this weekend I was reminded how mean and unkind some people can be.
I witnessed a well seasoned professional sales man in his early sixties walk very gently over to three young ladies and compliment them on their outfits ; you see they were preparing to leave to attend a fun filled evening at a western themed event hall, and they had on cowboy boots and hats and were looking the part. But what really was very shocking to me was the reaction that these young ladies had to his kind compliment. I watched as these young ladies turned their bodies in their chairs to the opposite direction, snickered and then ignored the man. I could see in his facial expression that he was taken back by their coolness to his gesture, and he quietly moved from the room. As an encourager it broke my heart to see such rudeness to a kind man and it has been on my mind as I try to monitor my own reactions to others. As we go through our daily grind let us be mindful of our treatment of others. The good Book speaks about it like this..”do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
Be Blessed….

Empower People To Lead

– Coming out of the last 18 months in the Non Profit world and returning to the Business World I have learned this one very clear lesson.
Empowering your people is vital to the success of the organization. Having worked in sales and management for over 15 years I have always built successful teams however, not until this last project did I manage with the goal of replacing myself. I have been coordinating 400 plus volunteers for a Church and our team in leadership developed and nurtured the concept of “giving ministry away”. This is done basically by growing and developing leaders from a vast pool of people by singling out their top three “gifts”, or internal personal motivators and plugging them into roles of service based fundamentally on those “gifts”. If you’ve ever heard of “working in your 10” , that is essentially what this process enables us to do for our people.
In this process you allow these folks to thrive in an area that they are perfect for , thereby creating a replacement for yourself in that area, so that you can move on and develop new ground. The end result of this style of leadership is an ever-growing and thriving enterprise in which much work gets done , due to people being equipped and empowered to thrive within their area of “10”. These valuable team players will have vision and motivation for their given area that will continually grow. As their leader all you have to do is encourage/coach them and resource them as their needs change.
Continue to manage in this manner and in short order you will have a large and very effective organization, producing huge impact on sales, influence, community, and any other area you desire to see changed.

When Life Seems Tough And Hopeless

As we go through our daily activities it seems sometimes that each new challenge brings us closer and closer to one of two points. A point of breakthrough, or breakdown.

There’s an old saying out there that goes something like this ” God won’t give me more than I can handle”.
This saying is missing one very important clarifying phrase and that is this ” more than He knows I can handle”
Father is the only one who intimately knows each of our personal limits and He knows where the line between Breakthrough and Breakdown exists. We have to be pushed beyond our own points of ” more than I can handle” to get to His place of Breakthrough.
It is so awesome to have a Father who watches so closely over our lives and the experiences that we go through.

Here’s a Word of refreshment from Gods Word.
“Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:30, 31 NIV)”

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzHPhVTw3YgM%26feature%3Dyoutube_gdata_player&feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=zHPhVTw3YgM&gl=US

Remembering The Month Of July And The Great Country We Live In

The Star Spangled Banner
In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, Defense of Fort McHenry. The poem was later put to the tune of (John Stafford Smith’s song)The Anacreontic Song, modified somewhat, and retitled The Star Spangled Banner. Congress proclaimed The Star Spangled Bannerthe U.S. National Anthem in 1931.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro’ the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!